Security In-Brief

Posted on Mon Jun 10, 2019 @ 6:25pm by Lieutenant Annora Tessaro & Lieutenant JG Erich Hartmann

1,550 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Doors of Perception
Location: Security Offices
Timeline: Day 8 09:00 hrs

On:

Working security on a large station meant one wore many different hats on a given day. This morning, it was welcoming the new Operations Officer to the station.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Erich Hartmann walked at a brisk pace. The Reserves were far more militarized than the Active Fleet, and they taught you quickly to not dawdle around. Get where you needed to go and get there fast; you’ll need the saved time to get to your next task, lest the XO ask you what you do with your time. He had arrived at Security at about 0857 hours for his appointment with the Security Chief. He sat in the waiting area for the remainder of the three minutes until the top of the hour checking the shine of his shoes and picking lint off his uniform jacket.

Best not to be seen as a slob on your first meeting Hartmann thought to himself.

The German’s only distraction was the fact that the carpet had been freshly shampooed. The standard Starfleet disinfectant soup has a scent that Hartmann found displeasing. Engineers had presumably tried to create a disinfectant that had no odors or scents that could be displeasing to the various known species with hyper-sensitive nostrils. But, in their quest to be pleasing to everyone, they in effect pleased no one. The resulting tangy aroma smelled more like a hospital than any enticing room of work or relaxation.

When Hartmann was waved in, glad to move on from the foul shampoo, he came to attention and saluted.

“Hartmann, Erich. Reporting as instructed Ma’am.” His crisp accent said with hints that he was practiced and comfortable with the formalities.

Annora stood up from her chair as the door opened.
"I'm Lt Annora Tessaro. Welcome to DS5."

The wall behind her desk contained a copy of her Starfleet Academy Diploma as well as the various awards/ribbons she'd accumulated throughout her time in service. Eagle eyed visitors would notice several awards not currently in use by Starfleet, or outdated versions of current ribbons. A Federation flag was hung to the right of the other items. The side wall had recruiting posters from the various eras of Starfleet. Below that sat a display case showing the evolution of the type 2 phaser.

The salute took her by surprise, but some habits were well ingrained. Annora quickly switched from offering a handshake to returning the salute.
"At ease Lieutenant, take a seat."

“Jawöhl Frau Oberleutnant.” The German said obediently as he took his seat. Although the letter of his posture was at ease, the spirit of it was a pale imitation, as he sat upright, even stiffly.

"I've studied multiple languages, but German is not one of them. Relax Lieutenant, we're not at Headquarters or the Commander's office. I'm all for Pomp and Circumstance, but this meeting isn't the time nor place for them."

She pulled up his service record.
"What brings you to the Frontier from the Sol system?"

Hartmann tried to relax, even allowing his right leg to casually cross over his left knee as he answered.

“I grew tired of Reserve life ma’am. I found that I wanted to be an Officer full time and Active at that. Since I was a bit behind my peers in my career timeline, Personnel Resources Command said that a deep space assignment might help me get back on track. This assignment was the next available.”

He'd get no argument from her there. For centuries frontier assignments had been conducive to promotions, especially in times of relative peace.
"I don't control promotions, but I'd agree with Personnel's assessment. It says you taught Earth History at the Academy. Which era did you focus on?"

“Post-Napoleon to Pre-Cochrane ma’am.” Erich replies, beaming somewhat proudly.

"That's a large and violent swath of time. I didn't take that class at the Academy. Instead I focused on the Mid to late Twenty-Second Century and then more recent history. What about the Pre-Cochrane era appeals to you?"

Even as a kid, that time period was well in the past. Now it was almost ancient history.

Erich cupped his chin with his hand, a shorthand he had learned to do in order to let people know he was thinking rather than simply staring off into nothing.

“The sheer contradictions of it ma’am.” He finally answered. “Humanity tried for centuries to both destroy themselves and work for a better tomorrow: the World Wars, the United Nations, the NEW United Nations. There were great personalities, evil ones, indifferent ones: jerks and saints, drunkards and teetotalers, warriors and peacemakers, poets and the uncouth. It is a period that shows us as humans at our best...and at our worst. It is a perfect vessel to showcase Humanity 101 to our alien allies and neighbors.”


She hadn't thought of it that way, despite all their struggles there was still those working for peace.
"That's an interesting take on things Lieutenant. Perhaps someday we can discuss the finer points of Earth's history."

Getting back to business, she inputted a few commands into the computer terminal.
"I've activated your security codes for the station. Based on your rank and position, you should have access to most every area of the station. I guess technically you could access Marine Country and the Intelligence area but I recommend checking in at the respective front desks. If your codes don't work, or you can't get somewhere you feel you should, stop back here and we'll sort things out."

“Yes ma’am.” The German stated laconically.

This was proving to be a fairly one sided conversation, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"Glad you understand. Tell me Lieutenant what do you know about DS5, aside from the technical specs?"

The present was as good a time as any to quell any rumors that might be floating around.

Erich arched an eyebrow. “If you mean it’s current mission sets or the like, I only got the abbreviated version in the dossier, but something tells me that is not what you mean ma’am.” He figured the security chief wanted a specific answer from him, but did not know if he even had the answer she craved.

“May I ask if you had something specific in mind?” He returned, attempting to at least gather clues as to her needed response.

"Nothing specific Lieutenant. I know what the local news agencies are reporting, but there's a lot of space between here and the Federation's core. What scuttlebutt have you heard concerning the station?"

Hartmann nervously cleared his throat. “Nothing concrete ma’am. Just wild rumors concerning Pangea: that we’ve found a lost civilization, a gateway to a mirror world, or that it hides fleets of Cardassian ships beyond its horizon.”

She chuckled at the rumors. There was a bit of truth in them, but as often happened, there was more fiction than fact.
"No lost civilizations that we know of. There are portals, which have lead to the past as well as alternate realities. That's a large reason why Pangaea is mostly off limits. We've had some run ins with the Cardassians, but I'm not aware of any fleet hiding on or around the planet. The bigger issue right now is the xenophobic sentiments of several civilians on the station."

Hartmann chewed on his tongue in thought. “True snuff: how bad is it? The xenophobia?” He asked.

"We had the initial attack during the war-games a month or so ago. Then someone bombed the embassies as well as the Box of Delights. There was also a Ferengi diplomat found killed, although we can't prove that was due to any specific xenophobia. In the last couple weeks things have been fairly quiet, except for an occasional skirmish. The Raddon Corporation doesn't help anything."

Erich perked up at that name. “Yes ma’am; what can you tell me about them; details are...scant.”

That was a bit surprising, but perhaps it was all part of the Raddon Corporation's plan. The less people knew about them, the better. She thought back to her encounters with the company.
"They are the largest civilian employer on the station, as long as you're a human. Their main business is all things dilithum related. Their security chief used to hold my job. Near as I can tell, he got caught up mixed up with some Romulans that ended in some dead bodies. There wasn't enough evidence to directly tie him to anything, but there was enough to force him out of the service. As for Raddon himself, the man seems to blame aliens for humanities shortcomings. Anyone who isn't human is viewed with suspicion and/or contempt. His cooperation is the minimum required to keep his business license active."

The German frowned at the details. “Roger ma’am. Is there anything else you need?”

"No Lieutenant, I think we're good here. Again welcome to the station."

“Thank you ma’am.” Erich stayed. He stood from the chair, coming to attention. “By your leave?” He asked formally.

Giving the man a quick salute, Annora dismissed him.
"You're good to go Lieutenant. See you around."

“You too ma’am.”

Off:

Lt Annora Tessaro
Chief Security Officer
DS5

&

LTJG Erich Hartmann
Chief Operations Officer
DS5

 

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